Woodsongs Vodcasts

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Woodsongs 611: Over the Rhine and David Wax Museum Apr 07, 2011

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OVER THE RHINE return to WoodSongs to mark their 20 year recording history with a brand new CD called "The Long Surrender." The southern Ohio-based husband-and-wife team of multi-instrumentalist Linford Detweiler and vocalist Karin Bergquist new CD is a fan-funded record on OtR's own Great Speckled Dog label (named for the couple's Great Dane, Elroy). It was produced by two time Grammy winner Joe Henry whose songs they've long admired and has a guest appearance from Lucinda Williams. The songs seamlessly interweave the disparate strains that form the many-colored crazy quilt of American music. DAVID WAX MUSEUM was voted "one of Boston's hottest new bands" by The Boston Globe and awarded as the Americana Artist of the Year. They have performed at the Newport Folk Festival (and were featured on NPR's All Songs Considered as one of Newport's highlights), toured with The Avett Brothers, shared bills with Carolina Chocolate Drops and constantly tour around the country. The band's new CD is "Everything Is Saved."

Woodsongs 610: Greensky Bluegrass and Eden Brent Apr 07, 2011

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GREENSKY BLUEGRASS is earning recognition nationwide as a growing force in bluegrass and acoustic roots music. This Michigan band won the 2006 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition. As newcomers to the bluegrass scene, the three sought to define themselves within the framework of their bluegrass favorites while establishing a voice of their own, drawing upon an array of influences and varied musical backgrounds. Greensky Bluegrass is touring in support of their recently released fourth album, "Five Interstates." EDEN BRENT is a masterful blues pianist and vocal stylist. Her piano playing and singing style ranges from a melancholic whisper to a full-blown juke joint holler. This Mississippi Delta native is a three-time blues music award winner when she won the 2011 Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year. Her acclaimed album "Mississippi Number One" on Yellow Dog Records is a tribute to her home on Mississippi State Highway 1.

Woodsongs 609: Celebrating the Women of Bluegrass featuring Roni Stoneman, Dale Ann Bradley & Bella Betts Feb 06, 2011

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RONI STONEMAN is a true legend of bluegrass. The youngest daughter of the pioneering country music family The Stonemans, she became "The First Lady of Banjo," a fixture on the Nashville scene, and, as Hee Haw's Ironing Board Lady, a comedienne beloved by millions of Americans nationwide. She recently released a CD with her two sisters and was the subject of book called “Pressing On� written by Ellen Wright� Website for Ellen Wright's book on Roni Stoneman.� DALE ANN BRADLEY is the 2007, 2008 & 2009 IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year and has been hailed by Alison Krauss and Ricky Skaggs as one of the greatest vocalists in bluegrass music. A former Coon Creek Girl and mainstay at Kentucky's Renfro Valley Barn Dance, Bradley commands a list of awards as long as Highway 40, yet a few minutes with her tells you she is something even more than extraordinarily gifted � she's extraordinarily human.� Dale Ann Bradley.� BELLA BETTS is a young girl of only 10 but plays mandolin and fiddle like a pro. This Colorado girl is seasoned enough to perform on the main stage at Rockygrass this past summer. Bella also works with the Colorado bluegrass music society to present bluegrass to the schools. She has played with KC Groves and other local musicians during these presentations.� Bella Betts.�

Woodsongs 608: Angel Band & The Laws Jan 05, 2011

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ANGEL BAND is a group of three powerful women artists: Nancy Josephson, Kathleen Weber, and Aly Paige. No audience has been left unmoved by Angel Band�s all out, “take no prisoners� stage demeanor and rootsy, bluesy Americana songs. Performing at Bonnaroo, Merlefest, the Philadelphia Folk Festival and other high profile events, this band is winning over many new listeners in their travels. Their new album is titled "Bless My Sole" on Appleseed Records. MICHAEL HEARNE moved to Northern New Mexico 25 years ago from Austin, Texas, and immediately joined forces with numerous other musical luminaries including Michael Martin Murphey and Tish Hinojosa, becoming an integral part of Murphey's band. Called the �Acoustic Southwestern Americana Musical Guitar Genius,� this native Texan continues to leave an indelible mark on his audiences not only with his signature �Michael Hearne� guitar sound, but also with songs and stories that are rich in lyrical prose, imagery and humor. His newest CD, The High Road to Taos, has received critical acclaim, with some discriminating reviewers declaring it to be his finest work to date. THE LAWS are a husband and wide duo from Wheatley, Ontario Canada. They are the FIRST Canadians to win the prestigious Chris Austin Song Writing Contest at MerleFest. It's not surprising John and Michele Law kick off their sixth album "Try Love" with the line 'I believe in love at first sight,' as the album marks The Laws' 10 years and one million miles on the road as a couple.

Woodsongs 607: The SteelDrivers�and Molly Andrews� Jan 03, 2011

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THE STEELDRIVERS brand of bluegrass is intense, dark, poetic, and inescapably human. It's a refreshing reminder of the timeless power of stringband music. This group of seasoned veterans from Nashville are each are distinguished in his or her own right. They are braiding their bluegrass roots with new threads of their own design, bringing together country, soul, and other contemporary influences to create an unapologetic hybrid that is old as the hills but fresh as the morning dew. The band is celebrating two new releases on Rounder Records. "Reckless" is the bands eagerly anticipated follow-up to their highly acclaimed self-titled debut. The band is also featured on the movie soundtrack for "Get Low" which stars Robert Duvall and Bill Murray. MOLLY ANDREWS is recognized as one of the finest interpreters of southern Appalachian music and varied genres. Her lineage trails deep into pre-revolutionary southwest Virginia, hence a natural affinity for the old songs. Born a coal miners granddaughter in Bluefield, West Virginia, she uses combination of intuition and versatility as an a capella and interpretive singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. As the late Mike Seeger put it, "She's one of my very most favorite ballad singers." Her most recent solo recording, Bird On A Briar, is slated for release in early 2011.

Woodsongs 606: Jesse McReynolds� and Lucky Peterson Dec 13, 2010

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JESSE McREYNOLDS is a bluegrass master and mandolin stylist known for his musical wizardry, songwriting, singing and arranging. A member of the award-winning brother duo, Jim & Jesse until Jim's death in 2002. He is a Grand Ole Opry member for more than 45 years, performed throughout Europe and Africa, as well as in the U.S. Multiple Grammy nominee and winner, and played mandolin on the Doors' The Soft Parade album. Co-winner of the IBMA Instrumental Recording, "Mandolin Extravaganza". Nominated in 2005 for IBMA Instrumental Recording of the Year for his stellar collection of mostly original songs, "Bending the Rules." Currently celebrating his 63rd Anniversary in music! LUCKY PETERSON was discovered by blues legend Willie Dixon when he was just three years old, released his first record at five and soon after appeared on The Tonight Show. An amazing, colorful bluesmaster, recorded what Amazon.com called “his finest album," Black Midnight Sun in 2003, but personal troubles preventing a proper follow-up until now. Lucky's long awaited, brand new CD You Can Always Turn Around is an uplifting collection of songs that speak of struggles and salvation, using the gritty clarity of acoustic roots-blues

Woodsongs 605: Punch Brothers and The Chaplin Sisters Nov 16, 2010

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PUNCH BROTHERS return the WoodSongs stage with a brand CD on Nonesuch Records called "Antifogmatic." Led by mandolinist Chris Thile (founding member of Nickel Creek), the band's second CD showcases the collaborative power of this virtuosic, genre-blurring combo. The Punch Brothers' line-up includes some of the most impressive and widely respected musicians performing today: Chris Eldridge (guitar), Paul Kowert (bass), Noam Pikelny (banjo), and Gabe Witcher (fiddle). In fact, Noam Pikelny just won the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. THE CHAPIN SISTERS are singing and songwriting sisters who have been performing since 2004. Lily and Abigail (daughters of veteran singer/songwriter Tom Chapin and nieces of famed folk singer Harry Chapin) are known for pristine harmonies and haunting melodies that have gained comparisons to sister acts of old and Appalachian family groups, yet their songs and arrangements have a very contemporary feel, with elements of pop, blues and psychedelic rock.

Woodsongs 604: �Celebration of John Jacob Niles featuring Dr. Ron Pen, The Niles String Quartet, Reel World String Band, Carla Gover, Dennis Bender & Monica Dewey�l Nov 15, 2010

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JOHN JACOB NILES is considered one of our nation's most influential musicians. This Kentucky native is called the "Dean of American Balladeers" and Niles's dedication to the folk music tradition lives on in generations of folk revival artists such as Bob Dylan, Jean Ritchie, Joan Baez, and Oscar Brand. At the age of sixteen Niles wrote one of his most enduring tunes, "Go 'Way from My Window," basing it on a song fragment from a black farm worker. This iconic song has been performed by folk artists ever since and may even have inspired the opening line of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe." As a composer and balladeer, Niles drew inspiration from the deep well of traditional Appalachian and African American folk songs. The show will feature Dr. RON PEN, associate professor of music and director of the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music and the Appalachian Studies Program, who just published the first full-length biography of Niles called I Wonder as I Wander: The Life of John Jacob Niles. Other artists performing on the show include: The Reel World String Band, The Niles String Quartet, Carla Gover, Dennis Bender & vocalist Monica Dewey.

Woodsongs 603: �Guy Mendilow Band�and Still on the Hill Nov 08, 2010

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GUY MENDILOW BAND delivers a delightful, international blend of Israeli, Middle-Eastern, Sephardi and Blues and performs in Hebrew, Arabic, Ladino, Portuguese and English. The five members of the Guy Mendilow Band create intricate textures with berimbaus, percussion, jaw harps that would make beat-boxers' jaws drop, and Mendilow's award-winning overtone singing. The band's latest CD is "Skyland." STILL ON THE HILL is the folkgrass duo from Arkansas, Kelly Mulhollan and Donna Stjerna. This duo uses traditional instruments from their home in the Ozarks (mandolin, banjo, fiddle, guitar, harmonica and scrub board) as well as other exotic offerings (Moon guitar from Japan, African Mbira, and Tenor Ukulele) to create a kaleidoscope of musical color and texture. They have been voted "Best Folk Band" in the Ozarks for several years running, and the mayor of their town, Fayetteville, Arkansas, proclaimed Dec. 20th Still on the Hill Day for all the work the duo does in community service. "Mouthpeace" is their newest release.

Woodsongs 602: �Mollie O'Brien & Rich Moore� and Gary Bennett� Oct 25, 2010

Show notes

MOLLIE O�BRIEN & RICH MOORE have made music for over 30 years. After their youngest daughter went to college, they started to do some dates together which lead to the release of their debut studio album called “Saints & Sinners.� Mollie took her first step into the public eye with her brother, Tim O�Brien, and has one of the most remarkable voices in roots music. Mollie shared a Grammy with a stellar bunch of bluegrass collaborators on True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe (Sugar Hill). Rich grew up in Philadelphia with a musical family. He is well-known and well-loved in Colorado's acoustic music family and has lived and performed here for over 25 years. He made his reputation in recent years as the rhythmic bedrock for Pete Wernick's Live Five. He is guitarist of choice for folk legend Tom Paxton, who invariably requests Moore as a sideman for his Colorado shows.GARY BENNETT is a founding member of the critically acclaimed country music band BR549, who recorded five well-received albums, received three Grammy nominations and was hailed by music industry trade magazine Billboard as having single-handedly revived the soul of country music in Nashville. During Gary's tenure, the band sold over 500,000 albums and toured the world, headlining shows as well as opening for such artists as Bob Dylan, George Jones, Merle Haggard, the Black Crowes and Brian Setzer. BR549 was also voted "Best Country Group" in 1996 by Rolling Stone magazine. Gary is about to release his second full length solo album and will be performing with all-star band filled with some Nashville�s top players.

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